<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Dreaming of a Diaz Christmas by benjaminrussell</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27973965">Dreaming of a Diaz Christmas</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/benjaminrussell/pseuds/benjaminrussell'>benjaminrussell</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>9-1-1 (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>12 Days of Buddiemas (9-1-1 TV), First Kiss, Fluff, Get Together, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 16:02:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,386</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27973965</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/benjaminrussell/pseuds/benjaminrussell</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Buck’s going to ask Eddie out. He's even got a plan - every day in the lead up to Christmas he's going to do something nice for Eddie, and then hopefully when Buck finally asks, Eddie will make his dreams come true by saying yes. Because all Buck wants for Christmas this year is to spend it with Eddie and Chris.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>183</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Buddiemas 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Decorating</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Shout out to Jen for helping with my fic issues and appreciating my bad jokes. 🤣</p><p>There'll be a chapter posted each day of the event.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Buck helps Eddie decorate.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Buck juggled his multiple bags of Christmas decorations with his keys, flicking through the key ring one handed until he could select the key to Eddie’s house and let himself in. Pushing the door open, he called out his arrival. “Hello!”</p><p>“Oh hey, Buck.” Eddie stuck his head out of the kitchen, warm smile turning to confusion when he spotted how many bags Buck was carrying. “What’s going on?”</p><p>“I know you’ve been busy, so I’ve come to help you decorate.” Buck shot him an easy grin. “And I brought a few extra decorations with me in case you needed them.”</p><p>“That looks more than a few.” Eddie came forward and held his hands out to take some of the bags, smile returning and making Buck feel warm inside. “But thank you. I’d say you didn’t have to, but I know better than to argue with you by now.”</p><p>“Good.” Buck chuckled and followed Eddie into the kitchen, following his lead and putting the last couple of bags on the dining table.</p><p>“Coffee? I just put a pot on.” Eddie nodded towards the coffee machine as he put a couple of plates into the dishwasher – presumably, he’d been in the middle of loading it when Buck arrived.</p><p>“Please.” Buck grabbed a couple of mugs from the cupboard, one for each of them as Eddie didn’t appear to have his own mug yet. And then as Eddie was still preoccupied with the dishwasher, he poured the coffee, adding sugar to Eddie’s and a dash of milk to his own. When Eddie hit the start button and then turned around, Buck slid his Eddie’s mug towards him wordlessly. He took a sip of his own and then asked, “Ready to get started?”</p><p>“Thanks. Yeah, it’ll be a nice surprise for Chris when he gets home.” Eddie took a long drink before surveying the bags on the table. “I’ll get our decorations down from the attic, then we can see what we’ve got to work with before we start.”</p><p>“Good idea,” Buck agreed.</p><p>“If I go up in the crawlspace, can you take the boxes from me?”</p><p>They left their coffees on the counter and headed into the hallway where the trapdoor was. Eddie retrieved a set of stepladders and then scaled them easily, pausing only to push the trapdoor up. Buck stood next to the ladder, holding it steady until Eddie was up in the crawlspace, and then held his hands up above his head to receive the first box. With Eddie passing the boxes down to Buck, and Buck ferrying them to the kitchen, they had them all out in no time and were soon ready to start decorating.</p><p>An hour later, the Diaz house finally looked ready for the holidays, and the kitchen was significantly emptier. All of Eddie’s decorations, aside from a few special ones he was saving to put up with Chris, were up, as well as a decent chunk of the ones Buck had brought with him.</p><p>“Much better.” Buck stood back to admire their handiwork and grinned at Eddie. “It actually looks like Christmas now.”</p><p>“Yeah, thanks for your help man. Chris will love it.” Eddie nudged his shoulder against Buck’s before asking, “Why do you have so many leftover decorations anyway?”</p><p>“I may have gone a bit overboard last year when I had my own place to decorate for the first time,” Buck admitted.</p><p>“Well, I appreciate it anyway.” Eddie gave him a soft, affectionate smile that reinforced the idea that Buck’s plan was the right one. He was going to woo his best friend with acts of kindness, and it was going to be the best Christmas ever.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Family</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Christmas is time for family.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“C’mon, we’re going out!” Buck announced, once Chris was done with his homework. Eddie groaned, having come off a long shift only a couple of hours ago, but Chris cheered, always excited to do things with Buck.</p>
<p>“It’s low effort, don’t worry,” Buck reassured Eddie, confident his friend would appreciate the surprise trip once he knew what it was. “You don’t need to take anything, and you don’t need to dress up, so let’s go.”</p>
<p>Chris immediately headed for the front door to put his shoes on, so Buck focused his attention on the elder Diaz, offering him his hand to show he wasn’t going to take no for an answer.</p>
<p>“Where are we going?” Eddie asked as he reluctantly got to his feet, sounding sceptical.</p>
<p>“Wait and see.” Buck stuck his tongue out at Eddie, before quickly doing a lap of the house to turn off any lights etc so Eddie didn’t have to. Then he joined Chris in the hallway, checked that he was sorted, and ushered both Chris and Eddie out to his jeep.</p>
<p>“Watch the flowers on the front seat,” He warned Eddie in case his friend got in without looking. He’d picked up a small bunch on the way over for Chris to give to Isabel because he thought she’d appreciate the pop of colour, but they definitely wouldn’t look as nice if Eddie sat on them. Once he was settled in the passenger seat, flowers safely in his lap, Eddie gave Buck a look, but didn’t otherwise say anything, so Buck put on a playlist of Christmas songs and set off.</p>
<p>The journey was mostly occupied by Buck and Chris singing along to the music, but when they were almost at their destination, Eddie spoke up, clearly having recognised where they were headed. “Are we expected?”</p>
<p>“Yep. I sorted everything, trust me.” Buck shot him a quick smile, still keeping one eye on the road ahead.</p>
<p>“I do,” Eddie said quietly a minute or two later, when Buck had almost put the exchange out of his mind. His momentary confusion must have been evident on his face because Eddie added, “Trust you.”</p>
<p>Buck beamed at the road ahead as he slowed for the approach to Isabel Diaz’ house. “I trust you too.”</p>
<p>He turned onto the drive and parked up before turning the smile on Eddie.</p>
<p>“Now let’s go see your abuela.” He twisted in his seat to look at Chris and asked, “Do you wanna give your bisabuela these flowers?”</p>
<p>“Okay.”</p>
<p>They piled out of the car and headed to the front door. Buck rang the bell and then stepped back so Chris was front and centre, just as Eddie handed over the bunch of flowers to his son. They heard faint footsteps and then the door swung open to reveal Isabel Diaz with a wide smile on her face.</p>
<p>“My three favourite boys!”</p>
<p>“Hola, abuela.”</p>
<p>“These are for you!” Chris held out the flowers, smiling back happily.</p>
<p>“They’re lovely, Christopher. Thank you.” Her gaze tracked up to Buck, correctly guessing the source of the flowers given that he was the one who organised the visit.</p>
<p>“Come on in, dinner will be a few minutes, so you’ve got time to wash your hands and get seated.” Isabel ushered them inside and then went to put the flowers in a vase while Buck, Eddie, and Chris hung up their coats and went to wash up. Then they joined her in the kitchen, Buck and Eddie quickly transferring everything to the dinner table as Isabel dished up the food.</p>
<p>Dinner was accompanied by endless easy conversation, whether it was Chris telling them what he’d done at school that day, Buck and Eddie recounting child friendly calls they’d been on, or Isabel sharing gossip from her knitting circle. The rest of the evening continued in a similar vane until both Chris and Eddie looked close to nodding off on the sofa.</p>
<p>“I better get these two home,” Buck said after Eddie caught himself falling asleep and jolted awake for the second time. “Thank you for having us. I had a lovely evening.”</p>
<p>“No need to thank me, you’re family.” Isabel left no room for argument and instead stood up and pulled Buck into a hug. The movement roused Eddie, who helped Chris to his feet whilst trying and failing to stifle a yawn. That set Chris yawning too, and Buck couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. If he got to have nights like this for the rest of his life, he’d count himself the luckiest man in the world.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Cooking</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Buck makes dinner.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“See you at mine at five thirty?” Buck glanced over at Eddie while they were getting changed after their shift, forcing himself to keep his eyes on Eddie’s face and not the skin on display where his shirt was currently hanging open. Hopefully in the near future he’d be allowed to look all he wanted, but until that point, he was going to keep it one hundred percent respectful. Eddie turned slightly towards Buck and the movement drew Buck’s eyes downwards before he realised and dragged his gaze up again. Okay, maybe ninety nine percent.</p><p>“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.” Eddie smiled, apparently oblivious to Buck’s internal struggle. Thank god. Getting caught staring certainly wasn’t how Buck wanted to confess his feelings.</p><p>“Looking forward to what?” Chimney asked as he came out of the showers, dressed but scrubbing his hair dry with a towel.</p><p>“Buck’s cooking dinner for me and Chris.”</p><p>Eddie looked towards Chimney, giving Buck the chance to exaggeratedly hold a finger to his lips without Eddie seeing. Buck had confided in Maddie about his plan, and from the odd teasing comments he’d had from Chimney the last few days, he guessed she’d told Chimney. He wasn’t too bothered by that in itself; he’d expected it after all, but he wasn’t ready for Eddie to know the truth. There was still nine days left on his countdown to Christmas Eve after all. Thankfully Chimney just raised his eyebrows and went down a different route to tease Buck.</p><p>“Brave man.” Chimney dropped his towel on the bench and smirked at Buck. “I remember when he first started and couldn’t even cook pasta.”</p><p>“That was years ago!” Buck protested, playing along even though he knew that Chimney knew how much Buck’s cooking had improved since then. If it meant the older man wouldn’t make any comments about Buck’s feelings for Eddie, he’d happily take it.</p><p>“I’m leaving so I don’t have to put up with more of this abuse!” Buck announced dramatically, closing his locker and slinging his bag over his shoulder.</p><p>“I’ll see you later,” He said to Eddie, before mock glowering at Chimney. “And you’ll be lucky if I ever cook for you again.”</p><p>Chimney just laughed so Buck left the room, the light-hearted teasing buoying his already good mood. He was excited to show off the new recipe he’d learnt from Maddie, or well maybe despite Maddie given that her instructions for making meatballs consisted of 'don't add too much water'. Spending time with Eddie and Chris was always the highlight of his week, so he knew both combined would make for a great evening.</p><p>Buck swung by the grocery store on his way home to pick up the fresh ingredients he needed for the meal, double checking the recipe on his phone to make sure he’d gotten everything, and then set about preparing for the Diazes’ arrival. He made sure his apartment was clean and tidy, and then went to change even though he’d only just changed at the station. It might not be a date, but he still wanted to look nice for Eddie. After that, he checked the time and decided he may as well start prepping what he could of the food before his guests arrived.</p><p>At five thirty on the dot, there was a knock on the door and then the sounds of a key in the lock before Buck could even call out for them to come in. Eddie followed Chris inside, eyes immediately seeking Buck before the corners of his mouth twitched up at the state of Buck’s hands.</p><p>“Hey.”</p><p>“Bucky!” Chris’ excited cry rang out, before the boy started giggling. “You have flour on your nose!”</p><p>Ah. Maybe that was what Eddie was grinning at. Buck glanced at his mince covered hands and shrugged. The flour on his nose would have to wait.</p><p>“Let me.” Eddie walked around the breakfast bar and stopped scant inches from Buck, reaching up to carefully wipe the flour off with his thumb. It was an intimate gesture even for them, and Buck’s heart leapt in his chest. He met Eddie’s gaze, almost throwing away his plan and just kissing his best friend there and then, until the moment was broken by Chris coming closer and asking, “What are you making?”</p><p>Eddie stepped back as Buck turned to Chris, and then he started rummaging in the cutlery drawer. “I’ll set the table.”</p><p>“I’m making meatballs.” Buck gestured to the plate holding the ones he’d already shaped. “You wanna help?”</p><p>Buck helped Chris get set up at the breakfast bar, and then between them they finished off shaping the rest of the meatballs, Eddie seemingly content to just watch the two of them. After that, Buck checked on the sauce that was simmering on the hob and set about frying the meatballs, starting the pasta cooking at the same time. Before he knew it, the timer was going off.</p><p>“Take a seat and I’ll dish up.” Once he was sure Eddie and Chris were following his instructions, he pulled the bowls out of the microwave where they’d been warming and dished out three portions of pasta and meatballs, the latter having been added to the sauce at the last minute. He set the smallest portion in front of Chris, one of the other bowls in front of Eddie, and finally ducked back into the kitchen area to grab the last bowl for himself.</p><p>“It looks amazing, thanks Buck.” Eddie’s smile yet again sent butterflies swarming through Buck’s stomach, but he was thankfully distracted from worrying whether he was also blushing by Chris’ exclamation.</p><p>“It tastes good too!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Lost Gifts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chris is doing a present swap at school but the gift has gone missing, so Eddie asks for Buck's help.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I need your help.” Eddie’s voice came from the phone as soon as Buck answered, stress evident in his tone.</p>
<p>“Sure. What’s up?” Buck turned speaker phone on and set his phone down on the counter, immediately going to grab a travel mug from the cupboard to put his coffee in instead of the LAFD mug he’d just been about to fill.</p>
<p>“Chris is doing a gift exchange at school and I can’t find where we put the present. I dropped him off and promised I’d bring it on my way to work so he wouldn’t be too upset, but I’ve no idea where it could be.”</p>
<p>“You want me to help you search, or to go get a replacement?” Buck asked as he poured the coffee, already mentally running over what he’d need to grab before leaving the apartment.</p>
<p>“I know it’s here somewhere, so can you help me look please?” Eddie sounded relieved that Buck had agreed to help without any protest, even though Buck would do anything for him, especially if it was for Chris’ benefit.</p>
<p>“Of course. I’ll be right over, so see you shortly.”</p>
<p>“Thanks, Buck.”</p>
<p>Buck had been planning on bringing Eddie coffee for the start of their shift, but this was a better act of kindness. Holiday appropriate too.</p>
<p>Quickly gathering everything he needed for work, so he didn’t have to come back to his apartment, Buck headed out of the door, work bag slung over his shoulder and travel mug in one hand. He made good time to Eddie’s and soon parked up behind Eddie’s truck, spotting his friend through the kitchen window. He left his bag in the car but took the coffee with him, bounding up the path to the door and letting himself in.</p>
<p>“Hello!” He called out to let Eddie know he’d arrived, before heading towards the kitchen. The sight upon entering the room brought him up short because it looked like a bomb had gone off in there. What looked like the entire contents of Eddie’s kitchen cupboards were strewn across every surface, and a rather frazzled looking Eddie was beginning to shove them away haphazardly. Presumably, the gift hadn’t been there.</p>
<p>“I’m so glad you’re here.” Eddie looked away from the cupboards as he noticed Buck stood in the doorway. “I thought I might have put in one of the cupboards for safe keeping, but there’s no sign of it.”</p>
<p>“What are we looking for?” Buck asked, getting down to business, even as he started refilling the cupboards next to him. He set his travel mug down as soon as there was space.</p>
<p>“It’s a plastic dinosaur. Makes noises and stuff. About this big.” Eddie held his hands out a short distance away from each other to show the rough size of the toy.</p>
<p>“Where have you checked so far?”</p>
<p>“My wardrobe where all the presents for friends and family are, the hallway closet, the living room cupboards, here.” Eddie waved a hand around at the kitchen as a whole.</p>
<p>“What about Chris’ room?” Buck suggested, figuring that if it was a gift from Chris for a friend, it made sense that it might be in there.</p>
<p>Eddie stared at him for a moment before exclaiming, “Of course! He put it in his drawer for safe keeping and then presumably forgot all about it. Or buried it under a bunch of other toys.”</p>
<p>He darted out of the room, footsteps heading towards the bedrooms. Buck kept putting things back in the cupboards, seeing as Eddie had remembered the location of the gift. Or at least where it had been originally. He’d made a decent dent in restocking the cupboards when Eddie returned, brandishing a plastic box triumphantly.</p>
<p>“Completely covered by drawing supplies. Now I better wrap it before I drop it off.”</p>
<p>“You do that, I’ll continue putting your kitchen to rights.” Buck shot Eddie a lopsided grin, making it clear he didn’t mind doing it but still teasing a little.</p>
<p>“You’re amazing. Seriously, I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Eddie’s smile was blinding, and the words kept Buck warm all the way through their shift.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Candy Canes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Buck bring candy canes in for everyone at the firehouse.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Buck bounded into the station and called a cheery greeting to Hen as he passed her, heading for the locker room so he could get changed into his uniform. Once that was over and done with, he shoved his bag and clean clothes into his locker, retrieving a small plastic container of candy canes before slamming the door closed. He pulled three candy canes from the container and slipped them into his shirt pocket before taking the stairs two at a time up to the kitchen. The container with the rest of the candy canes went on the biggest table so his fellow firefighters could help themselves if they wanted, while Buck poured himself a mug of coffee and then flopped onto the sofa to drink it. A little while later, the sounds of Eddie’s voice drifted up to him, so Buck abandoned his coffee and hurried back down the stairs. Eddie was talking to Ivette, a firefighter from the other crew, but she headed off as Buck approached, shooting a grin at both of them.</p><p>“Hey Eddie.”</p><p>“Good morning.” Eddie headed towards the locker room, keeping his attention primarily on Buck as if expecting him to start talking.</p><p>“I have something for you.” Buck plucked one of the canes from his pocket and held it out to Eddie. “Happy holidays.”</p><p>Eddie stopped and looked down at what Buck was offering him, a small smile growing on his face as he accepted the candy cane. “Thanks. You know what, I don’t think I’ve actually had one of these in several years.”</p><p>“Here’s one for Chris too.” Buck passed him a second cane, almost bouncing on the spot. It’d been a good morning so far and being able to put a smile on Eddie’s face only made it better.</p><p>“Where’s mine?” Hen asked jokingly as she passed, looking like she’d just gotten changed too.</p><p>“There’s a box on the table upstairs; help yourself,” Buck told her, before sticking his tongue out. “They probably haven’t all been eaten yet.”</p><p>Hen raised an eyebrow and smirked. “My mistake, I forgot Eddie’s is obviously special.”</p><p>He didn’t know what to say to that that wouldn’t make it super obvious just how in love with his best friend he was, so he just shrugged. “I didn’t want him to miss out.”</p><p>Hen’s eyebrow seemed to climb even higher, but before she could say anything else, Eddie rolled his eyes and spoke. “Thank you, Buck. Now I’m going to change before Bobby gives me a disapproving look.”</p><p>Unfortunately for Buck, Hen took Eddie’s absence as an opportunity to tease him further. “Oh Buckaroo, you’re so far gone it’s not funny. Wait, no. It is.”</p><p>Buck shoved her away and did his best impression of Eddie’s patented eye roll, but it just made her laugh which wasn’t exactly the response he was hoping for. Clearly there was no hiding how he felt, so he settled for the second-best option – swearing her to secrecy.</p><p>“Don’t say anything to him, please.”</p><p>“I won’t, but you should.” Hen’s expression softened, being a supportive friend winning out over her amusement. “It’s obvious that he feels the same way.”</p><p>“I’m going to. I have a plan, but it’s not quite time yet so for now we’re keeping quiet.” He gave her a pointed look, before attempting to change the subject. “Now if you’ll follow me, I’ll escort you to select your own candy cane.”</p><p>Hen snorted but followed, and thankfully let the topic of Buck’s feelings drop. If he overheard her gossiping about it with Chimney later, well he was just thankful that Eddie was nowhere near.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Holiday Songs</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In the early hours of a shift, Buck sings Eddie's favourite Christmas song.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>By the time they hit the last hour of their shift, everyone was flagging and hoping that they didn’t get any difficult calls before the end of it. Fighting back a yawn, Buck decided that he needed to get up and move around otherwise he’d end up falling asleep on the sofa and that would make going to bed when he got home more difficult. He started pacing the length of the balcony, and while the movement helped stave off the tiredness, it didn’t do much to distract him so when Eddie returned from sorting a few supplies in the ambulance, Buck pounced on the distraction.</p>
<p>“Eddieeee.”</p>
<p>“What?” Eddie looked mainly tired, but there was a hint of amusement at Buck drawing out his name.</p>
<p>“Entertain me so I don’t fall asleep!” Then an idea occurred to Buck, sending him scrabbling in his pocket for his phone. “Actually wait, sit there so I can entertain you.”</p>
<p>He waved his other hand towards the nearest table and he pulled up the music player on his phone. Eddie raised an eyebrow but was presumably too tired to argue as he did as he’d been instructed and took a seat nearby. Buck had been planning on doing his act of kindness for Eddie after they’d finished their shift and slept, but it was way past midnight, so it was the next day now anyway. Buck hit play on the song he’d previously decided on, and waited for the lyrics to start, smiling along with Eddie when he realised what song Buck had put on.</p>
<p>“I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know.” Buck sang along, keeping his voice relatively quiet given the early hour but it was still plenty loud enough for Eddie to hear.</p>
<p>Eddie’s smile widened at Buck singing, and Buck was able to release the small amount of worry he’d had over the idea. He’d been confident in his song choice, but he’d been a bit unsure how Eddie would react to Buck singing it. Clearly, he needn’t have worried though.</p>
<p>“Said, I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, with every Christmas card I write.” Eddie joined in for the second verse, swaying slightly in time to the music.</p>
<p>Buck grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl and pretended it was a microphone, tiredness and Eddie’s clear amusement fuelling Buck’s silliness. He swayed in time with Eddie, thinking that they didn’t actually sound half bad and resolving to get Eddie singing with him again in future. Pulling a chair out and straddling it backwards, he kept singing to Eddie, unafraid to make eye contact. It wasn’t like it was a romantic song, and he <em>was </em>trying to woo the man anyway. Maybe he <em>should </em>have picked a romantic one, like Let It Snow, but no, he did pick White Christmas for a reason.</p>
<p>“May your days be merry and bright and may all your Christmases be white.”</p>
<p>Eventually they reached the end of the song. Eddie was still smiling warmly at Buck, so he let the Christmas playlist continue and smiled back, waiting for Eddie’s response.</p>
<p>“That’s my favourite Christmas song,” Eddie said softly. “It reminds me of Christmases when I was younger, even if we of course never got snow in Texas.”</p>
<p>“That’s why I picked it.” Buck realised he was still holding the banana and put it back in the fruit bowl, before looking back at Eddie just in time to catch his reaction to Buck’s words. The look Eddie was giving him was so full of affection and, dare he say it, love, that Buck didn’t know how to react. He felt himself grinning back dopily, feeling like he should pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. It sure felt like one.</p>
<p>The moment was broken after a minute or so, by the door to the bunks swinging open and Bobby coming to join them.</p>
<p>“Ooh, I like this song.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Free Day/Mince Pies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Buck, Eddie, and Chris make mince pies.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Buck waited until Eddie answered his phone and then asked, “Are you and Chris free today? I need taste testers and I heard you boys like eating.”</p><p>“Hmm.” Eddie pretended to think about it. “I think we can probably squeeze you into our busy calendar.”</p><p>“Translation, you have no plans?” Buck asked, grinning a little at the familiar banter.</p><p>“More or less.” Eddie chuckled before adding, “Chris has PT soon, but after that we’re free.”</p><p>“Perfect. I assume you don’t have decorative fondant, so I’ll have to swing by the store on my way over, so I’ll meet you at yours afterwards?”</p><p>“I think I can safely say there’s no type of fondant in my cupboards. But yeah, sounds like a plan. Can I ask what we’ll be taste testing?”</p><p>“Nope, wait and see!” Buck switched to speaker phone so he could open his notes app and start a shopping list, typing out the fondant and another couple of things he knew he needed to stock up on. “Do you want me to grab you anything while I’m there?”</p><p>There was the sound of the fridge opening and what was presumably Eddie moving a few things around before he replied, “Some orange juice and maybe a couple of packs of that filled pasta please?”</p><p>“Sure. Okay, see you in roughly an hour and a half?”</p><p>“Yeah, see you later.”</p><p>Buck added Eddie’s requests to his shopping list before putting his phone away and turning to the pile of things he already had. He’d been to the store the other day to get all the ingredients he needed to make mince pies, and had made the mince meat yesterday so it could sit overnight, but he’d only seen the idea of decorating the mince pies with fondant that morning and he thought Chris especially would appreciate it. Running through his mental checklist as he went, he packed all the ingredients, except those in the fridge, and the couple of utensils he knew Eddie didn’t have into a bag, before heading over to the TV to watch a bit of Netflix before he had to head out.</p><p>Just over an hour and a half later he pulled up outside the Diaz house. Eddie’s truck was on the drive, so clearly, they were back from Chris’ appointment. Not that it would have been an issue if they hadn’t given that Buck had a key and explicit orders to make himself at home if he was ever there without Eddie or Chris. He let himself in and didn’t even have to call out his arrival before he heard the clattering of Chris’ crutches hurrying from the next room.</p><p>“Buck!”</p><p>“Hey buddy!” Buck set the bag of ingredients down on the floor so he could bend down and pull Chris into a big hug when he reached the hallway. “You ready to do some taste testing?”</p><p>“Yeah!”</p><p>“Do we get to know what we’re trying now?” Eddie stepped into the hallway behind Chris, looking at the two of them with a fond expression.</p><p>“I’m making mince pies. I prepared the mincemeat yesterday so it’s just a case of assembling them and then baking them for a while.”</p><p>“You’re making mince pies from scratch? You really are going all out this year.” Eddie sounded impressed so Buck just shrugged and gave him a small smile. Maddie had rung while he’d been making the mincemeat and when he’d told her what he was doing, she’d asked why he was bothering when he could just buy mince pies from the store. Of course, when he’d then told her it was part of his plan, she quickly changed her tune.</p><p>They all moved into the kitchen and Eddie and Chris watched as Buck pulled out all the different ingredients and utensils that he’d brought with him, arranging them on the table so everything would be in easy reach.</p><p>“Here’s your stuff.” Buck passed Eddie the juice and pasta, waving him off when he asked how much he owed him.</p><p>“Do you want to see the drawing I did this morning?” Chris asked, giggling to himself.</p><p>“Of course, I do!” Buck turned his full attention to Chris, before being directed to look at one of the drawings on the fridge.</p><p>It was a self-portrait, where Chris appeared to be wrapped in what Buck guessed was fairy lights and scrawled across the bottom was ‘Chris-tmas Diaz’. That must be what Chris was giggling about.</p><p>“I get it!” Buck grinned at Chris and held a hand out for a high five. “It’s you on Christmas Day!”</p><p>Once they’d picked a playlist to put on, Buck got started on making the pastry before roping the other two in to help with cutting out lots of circles to make the bowls and lids of the pies.</p><p>“Now for the mincemeat.” He announced, pulling the Tupperware towards him as he grinned. “Full of the best quality beef. That’s right, isn’t it?”</p><p>“Nooo, Bucky!” Chris cried out, immediately laughing. “Mince pies have fruit in!”</p><p>“Oh good. I think this filling actually is made of fruit.” Buck opened the tub and showed him the very definitely not meat filling.</p><p>The pies were soon filled and covered, and then given a quick brushing of butter over the top before going into the oven, filling the kitchen with the homely smell of baking.</p><p>“Hey Chris, do you want to help me decorate the mince pies?” Once the pies had come out of the oven and had cooled enough, Buck opened up the packet of fondant holly and set it close to Chris so he could reach. “You dip your finger in the water, then dab a little bit on the bottom of the leaf and stick it on the top of the pie.”</p><p>Between them, it took no time at all to add decorations to every pie, and finally it was time to taste test.</p><p>“Mmm these are really good, Buck. Definitely a success.” Eddie’s appreciative noises made Buck mentally think ‘I told you so’ at Maddie before snagging one to try himself.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>31/1/21: I just learnt that mince pies aren’t a big thing in the US and that not everyone does know that mince pies are fruit filled, so uh, sorry if the joke doesn’t quite work haha 😂</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Travel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Buck takes Eddie and Chris to see some Christmas lights.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Buck’s idea for the day was admittedly more aimed at Chris than Eddie himself, but Buck knew well that Eddie would count the three of them spending the evening out together as something nice. And clearly anyone hoping to date Eddie would have to get on well with Chris if they ever wanted to stand a chance. Not that Buck had to worry on that front, given that Chris was always excited to see him and never disagreed when Buck called them best friends.</p><p>“Who’s ready to go out for dinner?” Buck called out as he let himself in to Eddie’s house. This trip wasn’t a surprise, given that he’d wanted to check with Eddie beforehand that it wouldn’t be too much for Chris, although the younger Diaz didn’t know what the after-dinner plans were.</p><p>“Me!” Chris cried as he appeared in the hallway, clearly ready to go. Eddie emerged from the next room a moment later, similarly ready to go out, so Buck turned on his heel and headed outside. He helped Chris into his jeep as Eddie locked up, before both adults piled in too. Buck started another Christmas playlist going, made sure everyone was ready to go, and then back out of the drive.</p><p>“Ok, so we’ve got a few options for dinner where we’re going. There’s In-N-Out Burger, IHOP, or a Mexican restaurant that makes guacamole at the table for you.”</p><p>“Mexican sounds good,” Eddie suggested, looking over his shoulder at his son and probably thinking it would be a bit healthier than fast food. “That okay with you, buddy?”</p><p>Chris appeared to think about it for a few moments. “Okay. But can Buck make pancakes for breakfast tomorrow?”</p><p>Buck glanced at Eddie as he turned back, shooting him a questioning look as well as nodding to wordless convey he was happy to do so but that it was Eddie’s call.</p><p>“If he wants to, but maybe you should ask him nicely.”</p><p>“Buck, will you make pancakes pleaseeeeeeeeeee?” The end of the word was impressively drawn out, making Buck chuckle even as he agreed.</p><p>The restaurant turned out to be a lovely family run place, and the food was as good as it looked. They ended up getting a selection of dishes and sharing them, and the server who came to make the guacamole for them was just as enamoured with Chris as most people he met were.</p><p>Once they’d finished eating and given themselves enough time to digest a little, they got back in the car to drive the couple of minutes into Woodland Hills and reach the neighbourhood that was their destination. As they reached the edges of Candy Cane Lane and Buck pulled into an empty space, Chris was staring out of the window in amazement.</p><p>“It looks like the North Pole!”</p><p>There were lights all over the place, and every house had some sort of display, whether it be contained to the front yard or taking over the entire exterior of the house itself. It was chaotic and amazing, and like Chris said, it was like an extreme version of Santa’s grotto at the mall. The North Pole with a distinctive LA twist. They walked slowly through the neighbourhood, stopping to look at more or less every house they passed. Buck wasn’t ashamed to admit that he was enjoying it as much as Chris was, and while Eddie might not be as outwardly excited, Buck could tell that he was still enjoying himself.</p><p>“Which one is your favourite so far?” Buck asked after a while, making Chris pause and wrinkle his forehead up in thought.</p><p>“The one where Santa was surfing!” Chris announced after a few moments, grinning widely up at Buck and Eddie.</p><p>“That was a pretty good one, wasn’t it?”</p><p>They walked until Chris was tired, and then did a loop around the outskirts of the area in the car before finally making the journey back to Eddie’s house. Chris had fallen asleep as soon as they’d left Candy Cane Lane, leaving Buck and Eddie to alternate between chatting quietly and sitting in comfortable silence.</p><p>“You staying over tonight?” Eddie asked softly once Chris was in bed and he and Buck had retreated to the kitchen to make hot chocolate.</p><p>Buck nodded and then laughed quietly. “I’ve got pancakes to make in the morning.”</p><p>“Good. In that case, do you want Baileys in your hot chocolate?” Eddie already had the bottle in hand and raised it in Buck’s direction to punctuate his question.</p><p>“What sort of question is that? Of course, I do!” Buck grinned at his best friend and then retrieved the bag of mini marshmallows that he’d left in the cupboard a few weeks ago, sprinkling a generous amount into each mug as Eddie poured shots of Baileys in. Then they settled in front of the TV, bickering about what to watch until eventually settling for the new Netflix Christmas movie.</p><p>It was so domestic, and Buck couldn’t wait until he got to have it for real.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Surprise Visits</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Buck surprises Eddie with visiting family.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Unsurprisingly, Buck was woken the next morning by Chris plopping down on the edge of the sofa by Buck’s legs.</p><p>“Bucky, are you awake?” Chris asked, clearly more excited about pancakes than he was bothered that he might be waking Buck up.</p><p>“No, I’m fast asleep!” Buck made a big show of pulling the blankets over his head, making Chris giggle.</p><p>Then Chris started tickling Buck’s feet, and even though it didn’t actually tickle that much through the blankets, Buck kicked playfully at him and wriggled into a seated position, letting the blankets pool in his lap.</p><p>“I guess I am awake.” Buck smiled down at Chris, helped him sit on the sofa properly now Buck’s legs weren’t in the way, and then broached the subject of the day’s act of kindness. “So, I know I said I’d make pancakes, but I’ve got a surprise for your dad and I think you’ll like it even more than pancakes.”</p><p>He paused to gauge Chris’ reaction, and then when he didn’t immediately look too upset, Buck looked around to make sure Eddie wasn’t anywhere in earshot.</p><p>“Your auntie Adriana is in town today, and I’ve arranged for you, me, and your dad to meet her for breakfast. What do you think? Is that a good enough substitute for pancakes?”</p><p>“Can I get pancakes when we’re there?” Chris cocked his head to the side, already smiling.</p><p>“That’s a great idea, buddy. Then it’s the best of both options!” Buck reached out and ruffled Chris’ hair, before comically lowering his voice. “But it’s a surprise, so can you help me keep it secret from your dad until we get there?”</p><p>Chris nodded eagerly so Buck held his fist out for Chris to bump before glancing at the time on his phone. “Good. Now how about you start getting ready, and I’ll go wake your dad.”</p><p>They had plenty of time, but there was no harm in being ready early, especially with LA traffic. Buck made sure Chris was starting on his morning routine, before balling up the bedding to be washed and folding the comforter over the back of the sofa. Then he headed down the hallway to Eddie’s room and knocked on the door lightly. He knew his friend was used to Chris sometimes coming in in the mornings, so didn’t think he’d accidentally walk in on Eddie in a state of undress or anything but gave him a minute to respond anyway. At the lack of a reply, Buck pushed open the door and called Eddie’s name as he approached the bed.</p><p>“Time to get up!” He said in sing-song voice, grinning at Eddie’s sleep rumpled appearance when he emerged from the blankets.</p><p>“What time is it?” Eddie asked, brow furrowed in confusion. As neither he nor Buck had a shift, he would have been expecting to wake to the sounds of Buck and Chris in the kitchen and the smell of pancakes, not his best friend grinning at him and his son noticeably absent.</p><p>“Just after seven, but it turns out we don’t have all the ingredients for pancakes, so me and Chris have agreed that we’re going out for pancakes instead. Which means you need to get up and get dressed,” Buck informed him, waiting just long enough to be sure that Eddie was getting out of bed before ducking out of the room again so he could go and quickly get changed in the bathroom.</p><p>Once they’d all gone through their respective morning routines and were ready to leave the house, Buck glanced at the time again and figured it was late enough that they wouldn’t arrive at the restaurant <em>too </em>early. He grabbed his car keys from the sideboard and led the way to his car, winning the argument about who was driving by the sheer fact his jeep was blocking in Eddie’s truck.</p><p>“Where are we going?” Eddie asked when they parked up in a parking lot a lot closer to the city centre than they’d normally go for breakfast.</p><p>“There’s a diner I want to try a couple of blocks from here. They source everything they use locally, and more importantly, their pancakes are meant to be really good.” Buck wasn’t <em>lying </em>with his reasoning; he’d just neglected to mention the most important one – that it was near Adriana’s hotel. He sent her a sneaky text to let her know they’d be at the diner shortly, and then led the way there, distracting Eddie from asking any further questions by starting a discussion with Chris about what toppings he was going to choose.</p><p>They were seated in a booth with cups of coffee or juice, browsing the menu when the bell above the door rang, drawing Eddie’s attention. Buck couldn’t see who’d just entered, but he was sat across from Eddie so he instead got to see his friend’s expression when he saw his sister heading towards them.</p><p>“Adri! What are you doing here?” Eddie slid out of the booth and stood up so he could greet Adriana with a hug when she reached their table.</p><p>“I’m in town for work.” Adriana hugged her brother tightly before leaning over so she could give Chris a hug too. “My schedule’s packed full but thankfully I was able to arrange with Buck to meet y’all for breakfast.”</p><p>Adriana shot Buck a warm smile, and then Eddie was staring at him too.</p><p>“I knew there was something you weren’t telling me!” Eddie’s expression softened into a matching smile. “Thank you, Buck.”</p><p>Buck grinned back, until Chris interrupted with a cry of, “Pancake time!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Sleds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Buck takes Eddie and Chris sledding.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Buck had been a bit worried that he wouldn’t be able to make his idea for day ten of his plan work, but thankfully late night opening of the indoor ski slope in the run up to Christmas meant he and Eddie had just enough time to pick up Chris after their shift and make it to the slope for the last slot of the day. He was convinced that Eddie knew about his plan, between the affectionate teasing he kept up through their shift about Buck organising a surprise visit with Eddie’s sister, and the look that he’d given Buck when he’d suggested going sledding, that Buck could only interpret as, “How did I get this lucky?” He was still struggling to believe it had been aimed at him. Eddie still hadn’t said anything about it though, so Buck was hopeful he’d get to confess his feelings as planned tomorrow.</p><p>In the meantime, they’d arrived at the ski slope and Chris was almost out of his mind with excitement at trying something not only new, but that was also a traditional Christmas activity that they obviously normally didn’t get to do in LA <em>or</em> El Paso. They checked in at the front desk, then moved on to the next counter to collect a couple of plastic sleds, before finally heading to the bottom of the stairs next to the slope. Chris marvelled at all the fake snow whilst Eddie made sure he was wrapped up warm enough for the temperature inside the building, and Buck just watched, trying not to actually bounce up and down in his excitement at being able to share this experience with the two of them. He knew it wouldn’t be quite the same as sledding in real snow, but it was the closest they could get without travelling a long way, and anyway Buck was optimistic that one day they’d get to try that too.</p><p>“Are you ready to give it a try?” He asked once Eddie was satisfied that Chris was wrapped up well enough.</p><p>“Yeah!” Chris cheered, starting up the stairs as soon as Eddie let go.</p><p>“How we doing this?” Eddie asked, hanging back a moment to give Chris a head start.</p><p>“One of us takes Chris, the other takes his crutches?” Buck suggested with a relaxed shrug.</p><p>Eddie was silent for a moment, before asking quietly, “You know I’ve never gone sledding either, right?”</p><p>“Don’t worry, it’s easy.” Buck gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile, before explaining, “You steer by leaning but it’s a straight slope so really you just need to point the sled at the bottom and sit back. I’ll go first and you can watch how I do it.”</p><p>Eddie nodded after a moment, looking a little more relaxed, and then started after Chris. Once they were all at the top, Buck settled himself into one of the sleds and tucked Chris’ crutches down the side where he could stop them falling out with his knee if necessary. Then he shot Eddie and Chris a quick grin before shuffling forwards until he reached the edge of the slope. It was a fairly small slope, so it was only a few seconds before he reached the bottom, but it was still enough for the exhilaration to hit. Clambering out of the sled, he scooped up the crutches and then turned to wave up at the Diazes wildly. He moved clear and then quickly pulled out his phone so he could film their first-time sledding.</p><p>After that, Buck lost count of how many goes they all had, Chris alternating between riding with Eddie or Buck, but by the end of the evening, they were all worn out. Chris rambling excitedly despite looking like he might fall asleep any minute, and Eddie looking like he didn’t have a care in the world told Buck he’d hit the nail on the head with the idea though. It was the perfect last activity in Buck’s plan, and even if it turned out that Eddie didn’t feel the same way back, Buck would never regret the last ten days.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. New Year’s Resolutions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Buck tells Eddie how he feels.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Buck had been nervous and jittery all shift, but he thought he’d done a decent job at hiding it. Either that or everyone had heard about his plan and weren’t saying anything out of respect because they already knew the reason why he was acting like he was about to vibrate out of his skin. He kept catching Eddie watching him out of the corner of his eye, but Eddie hadn’t said anything either, probably waiting for Buck to talk to him in his own time.</p><p>The reason Buck was so nervous was of course because it was the day that he was going to tell Eddie how he felt. No matter how confident he was that Eddie did feel the same way and would say yes when Buck asked him out, it was still nerve wracking to put himself out there like that.</p><p>“I know you’re busy tonight, but do you have time to grab a coffee with me now?” He asked Eddie as they were changing out of their uniforms at the end of their shift. “There’s something I want to say.”</p><p>“Yeah sure. What’s up?” Eddie glanced at Buck as he pulled on his flannel shirt, expression unworried.</p><p>“Coffee first. The walls have ears here.” Buck raised his voice at the last part, exaggeratedly looking around to see if anyone was listening in.</p><p>Eddie raised an eyebrow and looked amused, but otherwise just nodded and finished getting dressed.</p><p>“Procaffeinate?” Buck suggested as they headed to the parking lot, figuring the coffee shop on the next block was the most convenient place to go.</p><p>“Sounds good.”</p><p>They put their bags in their cars before walking down the street to the coffee shop, chatting about their respective plans for that evening – Eddie and Chris were going to Eddie’s abuela’s while Buck was hanging out with Maddie. Once they got to the shop Buck bought their coffees, before they continued down the street to walk around the small park nearby. It wasn’t until they were partway around the looping path that Buck finally deemed it time for the conversation.</p><p>“I made a resolution last New Year’s and I’m running out of time to do it,” He started, peeking at Eddie out of the corner of his eye.</p><p>“Oh yeah?” Eddie turned his head to look at Buck instead of the path in front of them, an expression that Buck wanted to say was hopeful on his face.</p><p>Buck nodded and then met Eddie’s gaze, wanting eye contact when he asked, even if it went badly. “I promised myself that I was going to ask you out, but there was always something going on and it never seemed like the right time. So, I decided to just make it be the right time.”</p><p>He paused for a beat to make sure Eddie wasn’t looking uncomfortable or anything before continuing. “Eddie, I love you. I think I’ve been falling for you since we met even if I didn’t realise it at the time, and I’d like nothing more than to be a part of yours and Chris’ lives full time.”</p><p>He was tense and a small part of him wanted to just turn tail and run, but Eddie was giving him that soft smile that only ever made an appearance when they were alone.</p><p>“I’d like that too,” Eddie said simply, reaching out for Buck’s hand so he could pull him in close.</p><p>Clearly telegraphing his intentions, he leant in. Buck met him halfway and then they were kissing, all of Buck’s worries dissolving and leaving nothing but utter contentment behind. Eddie’s lips were soft against his, contrasting with the hand that came up to cup the back of Buck’s neck so Eddie could press even closer, showing that he was just as eager for it as Buck was.</p><p>They reluctantly pulled apart a minute or two later, aware of their public location, but Buck couldn’t help but beam at Eddie still. Sure, he’d suspected that Eddie returned his feelings, but suspecting and knowing for sure were two different things. Eddie looked just as happy, albeit in his own more subdued way. Then the corner of his mouth curled up in amusement.</p><p>“I know what you’ve been doing this past week and a half. You didn’t need to bribe me into agreeing to being your boyfriend.”</p><p>“I prefer the term wooing,” Buck shot back, grinning dopily at him. “And it worked, didn’t it?”</p><p>“I would’ve said yes no matter how you asked.” Eddie reached for Buck’s hand again and intertwined their fingers. He pressed a kiss to the back of Buck’s hand, before meeting Buck’s gaze again. “Now I have a question for you.”</p><p>“Anything,” Buck replied, thinking that he’d agree no matter what Eddie asked of him.</p><p>“Will you spend Christmas with us?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. First Christmas Together</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Christmas morning at the Diaz house.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Buck was briefly disorientated when he woke in a bed that wasn’t his own, but the arm loosely curled around his waist brought his brain online, and then he couldn’t help smiling to himself. He was in Eddie’s bed and it was Eddie’s arm wrapped around him and Chris was just down the hall in his own room. In fact, Buck was a little surprised that he hadn’t been woken up by Chris coming into Eddie’s room already. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was just before six. Maybe Chris was just waiting, probably impatiently, for the clock to hit six before getting up. Buck knew he’d been like that as a little kid, when he’d been forbidden from waking anyone else up until ‘a reasonable hour’. Regardless, he should enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasted. He rolled onto his back, trying not to wake Eddie, but the movement clearly roused him anyway as his arm tightened around Buck’s waist and he buried his face in Buck’s shoulder.</p><p>“Merry Christmas,” Buck whispered, not wanting to break the quiet even if he had woken Eddie.</p><p>Eddie snuggled closer and mumbled something that sounded like, “What time is it?”</p><p>“Ten to six.” Buck craned his neck so he could press a kiss to Eddie’s shoulder, before flopping back onto the pillow and letting his eyes flutter shut again.</p><p>A moment later, Eddie sighed and shifted again, this time throwing a leg over Buck, so he was half laid on top of him. He tilted his head, so he wasn’t speaking into Buck’s shoulder and murmured, “Merry Christmas.”</p><p>Buck opened his eyes once more to see Eddie gazing at him from under his eyelashes, smiling contentedly.</p><p>“Waking up with you in my bed is definitely a Christmas worthy present.”</p><p>“A pity we don’t have time for you to unwrap your present,” Buck joked, unable to help himself even if it meant potentially ending the warm, sleepy moment that was stretching between the two of them.</p><p>Eddie snorted and buried his face in Buck’s shoulder again, swatting his chest lightly. “Sex later. Cuddling for as long as possible now.”</p><p>“Yes sir.” Buck chuckled, wrapping the arm that wasn’t trapped between their bodies around Eddie’s shoulders.</p><p>They laid there curled up together, until they heard the soft padding of footsteps from the hallway and then Chris pushed open the door.</p><p>“Dad, Bucky, it’s Christmas!”</p><p>“Yeah, it is buddy!” Buck sat up, dislodging Eddie who he thought probably was only not complaining because he knew he had to get up for his son’s sake. “You wanna help me put some coffee on? Then when your dad gets up, we’ll be ready to start opening presents!”</p><p>Eddie sat up too, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and looking way too adorable for Buck to cope with. He smiled reassuringly at Chris who was looking unsurprisingly impatient. “I won’t be long, I promise.”</p><p>Buck climbed out of bed, quickly put on some socks and a sweater, and then followed Chris into the kitchen. As he started filling the coffee machine with water, he glanced at the younger Diaz and asked, “Do you want some juice? Yeah? Okay, can you get the juice and the milk out please?”</p><p>He scooped ground coffee into the filter and then set the machine going, before grabbing two mugs and a plastic tumbler from the cupboard. He supervised Chris pouring out the juice, and then got him to pick a Christmas playlist on Buck’s phone so that they could set it playing while they opened presents. Then Eddie emerged from his bedroom, looking significantly more awake and less sleep rumpled. Buck privately thought it was a shame but getting to spend Christmas Day with him and Chris definitely made up for it. Christmas Eve with Eddie’s extended family had been amazing and crazy with people everywhere and he’d loved it, but even though Buck was normally a very sociable person, he knew that this morning with just the two of them was going to be his favourite part of the holiday.</p><p>“Hey Chris, why don’t you go and pick out a present for each of us to open first?” Eddie suggested as he entered the kitchen, ruffling Chris’ hair as he passed and then kissing Buck’s neck as he came up behind him.</p><p>“Seeing you all domestic with Chris is even better now I don’t have to hold back.” He murmured as Chris hurried towards the living room.</p><p>“I can’t think of anything better,” Buck replied, smiling softly.</p><p>They separated after a moment, Eddie retrieving a box of cereal bars to keep them going before taking that and the juice through to the living room. Buck finished making the coffees and then followed, sitting on the sofa in such a way so that he could lean against Eddie, and settled in for a morning of opening presents and spending time with two of his favourite people.</p><p>Happy Christmas indeed!</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>